New Revelations
by eaharris
Summary: Elizabeth is happy to be staying in Coal Valley, but she still has a lot to learn and discover about Jack and the town that she has grown to love so much.
1. Chapter 1

Sunrays filtered into a tiny bedroom in Coal Valley, causing Elizabeth Thatcher to stir. She opened her eyes and glanced at the timepiece next to her bed. 6 o'clock. She could go back to sleep. Instead though, she lay there contentedly, thinking about all that had transpired in the last couple of days. The comet. Her students. The walk. This was where she belonged and nothing had made her surer than Jack's declaration yesterday. She replayed their conversation in her mind, _You're the one. The only one_. She couldn't contain the smile that crept onto her lips. How long had she waited for him to say that? For him to _finally_ truly declare his feelings for her? For him to show her the affection she had wanted and dreamed of? It couldn't have been more perfect. It almost made all of the problems and obstacles she and Jack had experienced in their relationship worth it. She was in love with him, and more importantly he was in love with her.

She glanced over to look at the framed portrait of the two of them that Jack had drawn. How long had he been working on that? He was extremely talented, no doubt about that. Rosemary had mentioned he wanted to be a painter before he decided to be a Mountie. She would have to ask him about that. She would have to ask him about a lot of things. There was so much she still didn't know about this man she had fallen in love with; she had learned that quickly from Rosemary. But for now that was okay. She at least knew that she would have time to find out. Hopefully _a lot_ of time.

Unable to fall back asleep with all she was thinking, Elizabeth climbed out of bed and started to get ready. It was Saturday—no school, but she still needed to get to the saloon. _Today is the trial_. That thought put a small damper on the pure happiness and lightness she had been feeling. Poor Abigail. She said a short prayer that the trial would go well and Abigail would find the justice for Noah and herself that Elizabeth knew they both deserved. That's all she could do—pray and do all she could to be a true friend to Abigail and support her.

Elizabeth glanced at the clock, surprised to see that it still wasn't even 7. She had plenty of time. The trial started at 8. She might be able to make a stop at the jail before the trial. Glancing in the mirror, she smiled once again as she pulled a small portion of her hair back. She let most of her long brown hair hang in loose curls. She knew Jack liked it when she left her hair down; he had complimented it many times. She still wasn't sure about her outfit. Should she wear the red blouse Jack had said suited her? She decided against it; she could wait until Rosemary was officially gone to wear that again. She didn't want Rosemary getting the wrong idea. She managed to do that on almost everything anyway.

Jack had told Elizabeth yesterday that Rosemary was leaving on the stage today. Relief flooded Elizabeth on that one. Even though she didn't worry about Rosemary being competition anymore, the woman still managed to grate on her every nerve. Elizabeth still couldn't believe the arrogance and nerve that Rosemary had, especially the other night when Jack had intended to single _her_ out. Once again, Rosemary had been the one to steal the compliment. But, what was she doing? She wouldn't think about her anymore. That chapter was closed.

Wandering down to the kitchen, Elizabeth fully expected to see Abigail slaving away at the stove or at least eating her own breakfast. But she was nowhere in sight. "Abigail?" Elizabeth called out. No response. "Abigail?" Elizabeth repeated. Nothing. "Odd," Elizabeth thought. Maybe she had gone on a walk for her nerves over the trial. Elizabeth hoped that's what she had done. She was definitely worried about Abigail. Thankfully though, Elizabeth at least knew she had been there at some point this morning. She spotted some fresh biscuits covered in a towel next to the stove. She took two and made herself some tea, resisting the urge to eat more.

Elizabeth grabbed a shawl and walked out of the café. She crossed the street, breathing in the crisp morning air of Coal Valley, once again with a huge smile on her face. She had a one track mind today—Jack. And that thought made her smile. With that smile still there, Elizabeth glanced up to see Rosemary coming out of the saloon with her bag. She was _finally _leaving. Elizabeth hesitated to say anything; she felt absolutely relieved to see her go, but a nagging thought nudged her to go speak to that horrible woman. But Rosemary had spotted her. "Elizabeth," she greeted.

"Rosemary," Elizabeth paused. She hesitated to say anything more, but she decided she could part with Rosemary on more friendly terms. "I just wanted to say that despite what all has passed between us, I wish you all the best."

Rosemary gave her a smile, "And I you."

"Perhaps we could part as friends then," Elizabeth found herself saying.

"Friends it is."

"Are you headed back to New York?"

Rosemary shrugged, "Someday."

_What's that supposed to mean?_ Elizabeth wondered. She blurted out, "Where you headed then?"

"Well, for now I'm only moving down the street to a nicer room," Rosemary pointed, continuing to smugly smile.

"I don't understand."

Rosemary gave a little laugh, "The mayor has agreed to help me start a theater group."

Elizabeth was speechless. _How could she not get rid of this woman? _All she could respond with was, "Here?"

"Yes, isn't it wonderful? I'll be staying in Coal Valley after all. We'll be seeing a lot more of each other," Rosemary responded cheerfully as she continued down the street.

"Wonderful," Elizabeth managed to say sounding halfway sincere, a smile frozen on her lips. Although in her mind that remark was anything but sincere.

_How is this possible?_ was all Elizabeth could think as she quickly headed to the jail. Jack had been sure Rosemary was leaving. He was going to hear about this. Now. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Jack, already dressed in his red uniform for the day. Just the sight of him made her feel better. He was so handsome. She had even thought that on their first few meetings when his personality had left something to be desired. She loved to see him in his uniform, his dark hair slicked back, looking strong and official. She also loved the way he looked at her now. His face instantly lit up, a huge smile forming on his face. "Elizabeth," he said with a surprise. "You're here early."

"I know. I woke up early. I couldn't sleep anymore."

"Thinking about the trial? Or _other _things?" he lightly teased.

"I hate to admit it, but the trial never crossed my mind when I woke up this morning," Elizabeth admitted.

"Then I guess I can admit to you, it didn't cross mine either," he grinned.

Elizabeth smiled, but her smile quickly left her lips as she remembered the last conversation she had had this morning.

Jack looked at her closely. "Something wrong?" he asked immediately.

"I just saw Rosemary, who had some interesting news," she said slowly.

Jack looked surprised. "She does always seem to have some of that. Was she about to get on the stage?" he asked.

"No. No, she wasn't. She informed me that the mayor has agreed to help her start a theater group and that she's basically settling into Coal Valley as a permanent resident."

Jack's surprised expression turned to a scowl at this news. "Please tell me you're joking," he exclaimed.

"I am definitely past joking about Rosemary," Elizabeth responded. "I was trying to be nice when I saw her, thinking she was leaving. She had her bag in hand. I even told her we could be friends despite what's happened. Then she tells me she's just moving down the street. What led you to believe she was leaving? Because she's obviously not."

Jack let out a sigh of frustration. "Because she _told_ me she was leaving unless I stopped her. And believe me. I did nothing to stop her. I have no idea why she would try to stay. Rosemary is a city girl to the core. There's no way she's going to be happy here."

"She's obviously not giving up so easily on you. She still must think she has a chance to win you back," Elizabeth said with frustration. She was so tired of Rosemary getting in the way. Every time she and Jack made some progress in their relationship, there was some obstacle.

"Well, I don't know how that's possible. I've told her over and over again that there's no future there. It's over. I've told her how I feel about you. That you're the only one I see a future with. So, I guess she can go live down the street and start her theater group and get used to receiving no more attention from me. I've made my message as clear as I possibly can. I don't know what else to do to get it through her head that we're done." Jack looked into her eyes, "She's also going to have to get used to seeing you with me. A lot. And she's not going to like that."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. This side of their relationship was so new, but she could get used to it quickly. Jack took her hand and pulled her into the jail. "Let's forget about Rosemary though. Come here," he said, "I want to show you something."

"Jack, we have to get to the trial," Elizabeth reminded him, as he continued to pull her through the door.

"This will only take a minute," he assured her. He crossed the room to his desk and picked up a leather book of some sort. Opening it carefully, he removed one piece of paper, though concealing the front from Elizabeth. "Last night I couldn't get the image of your face looking at our picture yesterday out of my mind. So of course I had to draw it." Jack flipped the paper over, revealing Elizabeth's face gazing down at something unseen.

Elizabeth gasped. "Jack! You did this in one night? It's beautiful. Much more beautiful than the real me. It's funny. The only drawings I've seen of myself are the ones you've drawn and…." Suddenly she had a thought and immediately the pieces fell into place. She gasped, "You painted that mural. The one for the play. Didn't you?" She turned to see his reaction and saw his eyes look away for a brief second. "Jack don't deny it. It had to have been you."

"Elizabeth," he paused with exasperation, "can't you let me be anonymous in anything?" A hesitant smile escaped his lips.

"Jack! _You_ painted that picture of us kissing? All those weeks ago? Why in the world would you do that?" Elizabeth exclaimed.

Jack came closer to her and took her hand gently in his. "I think you can figure that one out for yourself, Elizabeth."

That look he gave her. How did he always have such an effect on her? "Why didn't you declare your feelings for me sooner then? Here I was coming to you to report that painting, outraged that someone would have the nerve to paint that and embarrassed to be discussing it with you. And all the time you were secretly laughing about it," Elizabeth yelled. "You enjoyed watching me feel humiliated." She looked down at his hand still in hers and paused, taking a deep breath. "You were thinking about kissing me even then?" she asked more softly now.

"It was a little fantasy I had. And believe me, the real life version yesterday was more amazing than anything I had imagined in that fantasy." He looked at her with a smile, and Elizabeth blushed. "You're smart. I knew you would eventually figure out I was the painter, and it would be an easy way for you to realize my feelings for you. Like I told you and you've seen, I'm not very good at saying what I feel. I'd much rather express it in other ways."

Jack paused, and Elizabeth glanced up at him. His head tilted towards hers. Suddenly, she had no words to say either, as he gently touched his lips to hers. He pulled away and put his forehead to hers. "I love you, Elizabeth," he whispered, looking so vulnerable and sincere.

Elizabeth couldn't contain her smile as she pulled away to be able to look Jack directly in the eyes. "I love you, too," she declared. "And Jack, those words are all you need."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The saloon was swarming with people and standing room only when Jack and Elizabeth stepped inside. Elizabeth immediately began scanning the room for Abigail. It seemed like the entire town was in attendance, and the room appeared to be very much divided. She could see Mr. Gowen and the Pinkertons towards the front. How many people could possibly be on their side? She was disgusted by how many people seemed to have been shaken by his speech the other night. This man was a manipulator. She just hoped the judge would see through his scheming.

She was happy to see most of the widows in attendance—Florence Blakeley, Cat Montgomery, Carla Noonan, Molly Sullivan. Surely they knew better than to believe Gowen. Elizabeth continued scanning the room with no luck. There was no Abigail Stanton in that saloon. This was not good. She turned to Jack, her voice on edge, "She's not here, Jack! Where could she possibly be? What if something's happened to her?" With each word, her voice was rising with panic.

Jack turned her body to face him. "Elizabeth, I understand why you're worried. I'm worried too, but we can't panic. Calm down. Take a deep breath in through your nose, out through your mouth. Remember?" He smiled, and Elizabeth relaxed a little bit. However, she couldn't resist the urge to turn back to the crowd and continue searching the faces around her.

Suddenly she spotted Bill Avery in the front also scanning the room. When he saw her, he immediately headed towards her. Bill nodded towards Jack and turned to her. "Miss Thatcher, I was hoping to see Abigail with you. The trial starts in 5 minutes, and I'm shocked Abigail's not here yet."

"I'm as shocked as you are," Elizabeth responded. "Abigail wasn't at home this morning when I woke up. I assumed she was either with you or went for a walk. Now I don't know what to think."

Bill's face reflected the worry Elizabeth was feeling. "Neither do I. I haven't seen Abigail since yesterday and even then, now that I think about it, she was acting strange. Jack, I think you should go look for her. This trial is extremely important to Abigail. There's no one who's been more invested in it. I can't believe she would choose not to come. This worries me, especially knowing what Gowen is capable of and how angry he is about this whole investigation. He outright threatened Abigail the other night."

Jack immediately nodded, "I agree. I'll go right now." He turned to go and then seemed to think better of it. He turned back to Elizabeth putting his arms on both of her shoulders, "Elizabeth, don't worry; I'll find her. Any ideas on where she might be?"

Elizabeth shook her head, "Not really, but I'll go with you. I can…"

Jack cut her off, "Elizabeth. No, you need to stay here. The trial's starting and if this could be foul play, I definitely don't want you involved."

Elizabeth's hands flew to her hips. "Constable Thornton, why can't you just admit you need my help and not argue about it for a change? Besides, there's no way I'm going to be focused on the trial worrying about Abigail."

Jack paused, running his hand through his hair and taking a deep breath. Elizabeth could tell he was trying to decide how to respond without making her mad. Finally, he surprised her with, "I don't have time to argue with you, and I know you'll win anyway." Jack halfway smiled and added, "So, you can come if you can keep up." With that, he abruptly turned and hurried towards the door with Elizabeth right behind him.

Elizabeth's total surprise led to a chuckle as she quickly followed, registering what Jack had just said. _He really has changed since we first met_,she thought. As she hurried towards the door, she could hear Bill calling after them, "Good luck. And hurry!"

They quickly crossed the street; Jack turned towards her. "Alright, I think we should double check the café before we try anywhere else. If nothing more, it might give us some indication as to where she went. And if foul play was involved there would most likely be some clue."

"Good thinking," Elizabeth managed to say as she hurried to keep up with him. Jack quickly swung the door open and called out, "Abigail!" Elizabeth echoed him. They rushed through the deserted dining room into the kitchen where the biscuits were still lying untouched. Jack quickly scanned the empty room seeming to take in every detail. He pointed up, "You check upstairs, and I'll look out back. Even if she's not up there, look around to make sure nothing is out of order or that there's no note. Hurry!" He was already at the back door.

Elizabeth ran up the stairs as she tried to remain calm and opened the door to Abigail's room, calling her name. As always, the room was immaculately clean and orderly, which was no help. Who knew if her bed had been slept in or not last night? Elizabeth scoured the room for any clue as to where Abigail might be. No notes. Nothing out of place. No signs of foul play. Where could she possibly have gone? Elizabeth's eyes settled on Abigail's bible lying open on her nightstand, as if someone had been reading it recently. A thought occurred to her that was worth a try. She quickly made sure nothing else seemed out of the ordinary before heading back downstairs.

Jack was standing there waiting. "Any luck?" he asked hopefully.

Elizabeth shook her head, "Not really. Her room looks perfectly undisturbed. No notes or anything. One thought did cross my mind though. I think we should try the church grove."

"Why there?" Jack asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I noticed her bible open as if she had been reading it before she left and maybe she went there to pray or to think. She does that sometimes."

"But why would she not come back for the trial?" Jack questioned.

"I don't know, Jack. All I know is that it's a place to start, and the clock is ticking."

Jack nodded, "You're right. We don't have any other leads. We'll try there first." He was already almost to the door.

They made it outside and headed down the street to the jail. Elizabeth was struggling to keep up with Jack's long strides, and he turned around and grabbed her hand to pull her along with him. It gave Elizabeth great pleasure to see at that moment Rosemary across the street outside the saloon glancing towards them with a frown. Jack, however, seemed very unaware of this as he quickly untied his horse and turned to Elizabeth, "I guess you'll have to ride on here with me. I hope that's okay."

Despite their worry, Elizabeth smiled. She lowered her voice to be sure not to be overheard. "If Rosemary could stand to ride with you, I guess I can," she teased.

Jack laughed, "I think you mean if _I _could stand to ride with _Rosemary_, then I can definitely stand to ride with you." He held out his hand. "Here, I'll help you on; I've seen you mount a horse before." Elizabeth was in such a hurry, she didn't take the time to respond to the implied insult in his comment.

Jack grabbed her hand to help her balance as she set her foot in the stirrup and struggled to pull herself over the horse. Then he effortlessly mounted behind her in what felt like a couple of seconds. He put his arms around her and grabbed the reins, turning them in the direction towards the church grove. Despite the fear she felt for Abigail, Elizabeth was amazed at how perfectly safe she felt in Jack's arms. No one made her feel more secure and protected.

As they picked up speed, she felt Jack lean towards her and say in her ear, "I wish you had stayed at the trial; having you out here worries me. But I must admit, I can much more than just stand riding with you like this."

Elizabeth couldn't contain the smile that spread to her lips, even as her heart raced from the combination of the feeling of being in Jack's arms and her worry over Abigail. The trial had already begun, and Jedidiah Black did not appear to be a patient or compassionate judge. He would carry on with or without any of them. She just hoped Bill Avery had the evidence he needed to make the case against Gowen without their presence.

However, her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the realization of how rapidly they were approaching the grove; she suspected though that Jack was going slower than he would have had he been alone. As they entered the clearing, Elizabeth held her breath in anticipation, hoping to see the familiar sight of Abigail seated somewhere amongst the rows of log benches. Instead, she let out her breath in a sigh of disappointment as it became immediately obvious there was no person to be found. "I guess that hunch didn't work," Elizabeth said with no effort at hiding her frustration. "Now what are we going to do? We have no time!"

"Don't be so quick to give up, Elizabeth. She could be somewhere close by. As long as we're here and we don't know where else to look, we'll search thoroughly," Jack responded. His Mountie training was obviously kicking in as he reached for his gun and quickly dismounted from the horse. He cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, "Abigail! Abigail!"

Elizabeth, still sitting atop the horse, jumped at the sound and tried to get off. "Jack!" she chided, clumsily lowering herself to the ground. "What if Gowen is involved? Why would you yell to the whole world that we're here looking for Abigail?"

"Why would he have her brought to the church grove if he was involved? This spot was your idea," Jack reminded her.

"Well then why did you reach for your gun?" Elizabeth countered.

Jack smiled, "Habit, I guess. You can't be too careful."

"My point exactly," Elizabeth said as she playfully shoved him.

Jack looked at her and laughed, then suddenly stopped as he spotted something over her shoulder. Elizabeth turned around and felt relief flood her as she realized Abigail was emerging through the trees.

"Abigail!" she exclaimed, running towards her.

"Elizabeth! Jack!" Abigail yelled with surprise, looking up. "What are you both doing here?"

"I think the more appropriate question would be what are _you_ doing here? The trial's started, and we were worried sick. What's happened? Are you hurt? Did you lose track of time? Did someone threaten you?" Elizabeth asked, releasing all of the worry she had been feeling while looking Abigail over from head to toe. She didn't appear to be injured or harmed, although she looked exhausted.

"Elizabeth," Abigail interrupted, "No, no, I'm fine. Elizabeth, Jack, I'm sorry to have worried you. I should have thought about the fact you might come looking for me. I guess I wasn't thinking straight. I can explain though," she paused and looked down at the ground. "I was up all night thinking about this trial and Bill and Mr. Gowen and the town. I felt so overwhelmed by all of the accusations and some discoveries that I made yesterday that I couldn't take it anymore. I just felt like I couldn't face the trial today."

"Oh Abigail," Elizabeth said with compassion, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Abigail waved her off, "No, Elizabeth, I'm okay. I just feel like it would be better if I weren't there. Gowen will just continue to attack Noah's good name, and Bill Avery…" She stopped there.

"What about Bill Avery, Abigail?" Elizabeth prodded, confused. "I thought you said he could make a case. I thought you had faith in him." She looked from Abigail to Jack, who had remained silent up until now.

"Abigail," he said gently, "tell us what's happened. Only a day ago, you still seemed resolved to make a stand, even after what Gowen did to you. What's changed?"

Abigail sighed, walked over to one of the logs, and sat down. Elizabeth and Jack followed. "Yesterday," she began, "after the judge arrived, I went up to Bill's room to get the witness list. While I was up there, I discovered something on his nightstand." She paused again.

"And? What was it?" Elizabeth prompted impatiently.

"I saw a wedding ring laying there with what appeared to be a recent photograph of Bill with a woman and boy who was about 12 years old." She sounded defeated with her confession, but continued with anger, "Bill told me directly that he was not married and had no family. He completely lied to me. How can I possibly trust him now? He was the person I was depending on in this trial, and now I realize that person can't be depended on at all." Abigail's voice died off.

Elizabeth's mouth fell open in surprise. As she tried to find a way to respond, she heard Jack say, "Don't jump to conclusions, Abigail."

"Jump to conclusions? What other conclusion could there be, Jack?" she asked.

Elizabeth jumped in, "Abigail, don't you remember when Rosemary came into town and said she and Jack were engaged? Don't you remember what you told me? '' And you were right."

"True, Elizabeth. But Jack never told you he'd _never_ courted anyone."

Elizabeth laughed, looking at Jack, who suddenly seemed a little uncomfortable. "Maybe not in so many words, but Jack definitely insinuated he'd never been serious about anyone else, which was also a lie."

"Elizabeth, I never said that…" Jack began defensively.

"It's water under the bridge at this point," Elizabeth cut him off. "I'm just trying to support your point that she shouldn't jump to conclusions."

Jack rolled his eyes and then looked at Abigail more seriously now. "It's true, Abigail. There are a lot of other possibilities. I wish I knew the real explanation. Bill hasn't told me much about his personal life, but he could be a widower or his wife could have left him. Or that may not even be his wife and child. It could be his sister and nephew." Jack stopped, looking at her with compassion in his eyes, "I know you've been through a lot recently. More than anyone should have to go through. But you shouldn't lose faith in your defender without even talking it through. I can't believe he isn't true to you in this."

Abigail nodded, wiping a stray tear from her eye, "Thank you, Jack. I needed to hear that. But that doesn't make it easy for me to do." She stood up and faced the other direction, looking out at the forest. "I just feel beaten down. How can I possibly come out on top in all of this? Gowen swore he would destroy me, and from the business I've been getting in my café, he's coming pretty close."

"But Abigail, are you remembering where you are and how much you've already overcome?" Elizabeth stood up behind her, reaching for her shoulder again. "You can't lose faith now. You're stronger than any person I know, and you need to remember you do still have some support. I'm here. Jack's here. And Bill Avery was as worried as we were about you. He's the one who sent Jack to find you." She continued, "Besides, of all the places you chose to come this morning, I know there's a reason you chose to come to this grove. I saw in your room you were reading your bible this morning, too. Could it be you were trying to remind yourself of that faith?"

Abigail turned around and Elizabeth saw a glimmer of a smile. "I guess I was. Bill was worried?" she asked.

Elizabeth smiled, "Very. If you could have seen his face, I think you would know he could use your support." She added, "Just have a little faith."

Jack stood up behind her, "I second what Elizabeth just said." He grinned, attempting to lighten the mood.

Abigail laughed, "Well, it would appear I'm outnumbered and have no argument the two of you can't refute. I guess we'd better hurry."

Elizabeth looked over at Jack, and they both sighed in relief. "Wonderful," Elizabeth smiled, giving Abigail a hug. "Let's go. Let's show Gowen and his men they haven't won yet." Abigail halfway smiled, seemingly reassured. Elizabeth silently prayed that the assurance she had just given wouldn't be knocked down when they walked back into that saloon.


End file.
